Here's the Deal on Alkaline Water and Why Everyone's Drinking It

Alkaline. We hear this word a lot when it comes to healthy eating, and we told you that Kate Hudson is one of many celebs who swear by an alkaline diet. An alkaline diet (which, among other things, includes plenty of greens and limited acidic foods) can help keep your waist in check and your body less prone to disease by maintaining an alkaline (higher pH level) in your blood. So it's not entirely surprising that alkaline water is currently the hottest thing to hit supermarket shelves in a long time. But should you be drinking it?

"Between all the activities and alcoholic drinks, you can get dehydrated," says Mandy Ingber, Jennifer Aniston's trainer and the author of Yogalosophy. "I tell clients to calculate half their body weight and drink that amount of water in ounces daily." So if you're 140 pounds, aim for 70 ounces, or nine glasses; it will fill you up and keep your metabolism humming till January.

__The answer is yes and no. __

I just finished an alkaline diet (I tried a delivery service, Sakara Life), which includes a ton of alkaline water. I drank two small bottles of alkaline water every day, in addition to eating entirely alkaline food.

Throughout the week I was on the diet, I definitely felt more hydrated. I also felt a bit of a natural high, which could have been from the cleaner diet, reduced acidity, fewer daily calories, or all of the above. When I asked registered dietitian Elissa Goodman for her thoughts, she said the "high" I felt was likely from the detoxification effects of the alkalinity.

But here's where it gets tricky. Yes, alkaline water can help detox your body, as can an alkaline diet, but Goodman says you shouldn't necessarily drink alkaline water all the time. The reason is that too much of it can backfire and further any existing stomach problems.

"My concern is that many people have digestion issues largely related to having too little stomach acid, so long-term use of alkaline water can reduce the acid in their gut needed to properly break down and absorb their food," says Goodman.

Instead she says to regularly eat an alkaline diet filled with whole foods and vegetables, rather than rely on the water.

"Our bodies are naturally alkaline and it's easy to maintain this balance by starting your day with the very alkaline fresh-squeezed lemon in water, and then a leafy green veggie-based juice without a lot of fruit."

She also says to avoid processed and sugar-laden food, and add in a minimum of 50 to 60 percent raw or slightly cooked vegetables into your meals. That's an easy way to keep your body alkaline without squashing the natural acid supply your stomach needs.